River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-12-22
&c CHRIS XMAS LESSON.
n Teaches the Blessedness of Giving
The Chief value of This Holiday.

The Chief value OF This Holiday.
Their is moral education in the
celebration of the Christmas season. as
well as religious stimulus. OF course
the first object is TO honor the advent
of our Lord, but we observe the season
chiefly as a time to give gifts.
To think of Christ and to give gifts
are not very far apart. IL was our
Lord who id: "It is more blessed TO
| give than to receive" st. Paul, when
he had preached to the Corinthian
Christians an extremely persuasive SER
mona model to all ministers-on the
duty and privilege of giving gifts, end
ed with a matchless perOration, which
| was also the most powerful argument
he could have presented, brief, point
ed. unanswerable. Thanks unto God
for HIS unspeakable gift" 1t was as
if he had said; God gave To- you, as a
free gift His Son Jesus Christ. Think
how infinite was that gift Consider
the sufierings of Christi Weigh the
blessings that come TO you through
that gift. What now can you with
hold? Let your abundant gifts, but
all finite and measurable, express your
gratitude for the INFINITE gift of Christ. "
Christ was Gods gift His great ex-
preston of love. Our gifts are our
little expressions of love. God gave
His Gift on Christmas day; it Is a
proper day for MS to offer our gifts to
loved ones and needy ones.
In = IN hn frftr of - laf
best conquer our selfishness and become
like Christ. Especially is it most de-
sirable that children be taught the pre-
cious lesson of kindly giving. this
CREST lesson of love Herein lies, per-
haps. the chief value of this holiday.
The one thing that marks its character
is the giving Of gifts. For whole
month before the day comes. the little
ones are busily studying unselfishness.
They are planning what they shall
give. They are saving their pennies
most carefully to buy their little pres
ents. They are hard at work every
spare moment making the dear and
pretty trhes-no triiles to them nor to
those who receive them-which they
will give away when the merry morn
ing comes. How busy their fingers arel
How many are the secret consultations,
how careful the concealments of their
growing treasures They are bursting
with mystery. They are over-happy
with the delight which is choicor than
any other in this world-that If trying
10 do the best kindness they can to
their best loved ones They are learn
ing n mighty lesson. the best lesson
man or child can learn, the lesson
which Christ taught us-the lesson of
unseltish love, of labor and toll to ex-
press love; in short, that it is more
blessed to give than to receive.
For this reason we are glad that
Christmas is celebrated Ii is n selfish
world. We are all selfish by nature.
The child is blest that gets the early
education of Christmas, and is taught
by it to forget himself and think and
labor and deny himself to give to 9TH
ers. Give the children the Christmas
day, not simply that they may antici-
pate the pleasure of receiving gifts,
but chiefly that they may learn the
Christmas lesson through month of
work and thought for others. twill be
the best month in the year.-N y IN
den eHf{eRL